Russian space agency seeks to join ESA

Russia’s space agency is seeking to join the European space agency (ESA) but only as an equal member, its director Anatoly Perminov told ITAR-TASS.
He said the issue had been recently discussed with the ESA director Jean-Jacques Dordain. But the discussions dealt with Russia joining as no more than an associate, a status that would give it less power than other nations in the European space alliance.